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The Tripwire: 2011, Everything is the New Everything

J. Edward Keyes, Editor-in-Chief for eMusic, told WNYC: "In 2011, expect the line between independent music and big-name, arena-filling acts to become increasingly blurred.” That sounds about right. But the mainstream-ization of indie rock has played out since before Zoo Kid was born: "Alternative Rock? Alternative to what?," etc., etc. It’s a new year, though, and everybody wants to sit at the apex, to reflect and to predict but mostly to overstate the present. So let's look at time and point nothing out, maybe this will be the year the world changes.

Looking back to look forward: last year Vampire Weekend and Arcade Fire had #1 albums, but the highest-ranking rock band on Billboard’s 2010 Artist of the Year chart—languishing at a pitiful #16—was fucking Train, who were followed by The Script (?) at #41. What does that even mean? Maybe selling records isn’t the point? Two of the 10 top-selling rock albums of last year were Twilight soundtracks. Maybe trailers are the new platinum?

The last Pop Montreal festival slogan was “Weird is the new indie.” Let’s assume everybody is right. Indie is the new mainstream, weird is the new indie; green is the new red, Blake Lively is the new face of Chanel, and black is the new black. Zoo Kid is…